seek

verb \ ˈsēk \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: seek in a Sentence

Definition of seek

sought play \ˈsȯt\; seeking

transitive verb

1 : to resort to : go to

2 a : to go in search of : look for

b : to try to discover

3 : to ask for : request

seeks advice

4 : to try to acquire or gain : aim at

seek fame

5 : to make an attempt : try —used with to and an infinitive

governments … seek to keep the bulk of their people contented
—D. M. Potter

intransitive verb

1 : to make a search or inquiry

2 a : to be sought

b : to be lacking

in critical judgment … they were sadly to seek
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

—

seeker

noun

See seek defined for English-language learners

See seek defined for kids

Examples of seek in a Sentence

The office is seeking a salesperson.
The prince is seeking a wife.
Snakes seek the sun to warm their bodies.
You should visit your doctor and seek his advice.
You should seek medical help immediately if you experience any chest pain or shortness of breath.
The church is seeking donations.
He sought revenge for his son's murder.
During the war, she sought asylum in Spain.
They sought refuge in Canada.
The company is seeking new ways to improve service.

Recent Examples of seek from the Web

Winding Cave Complex The 12 boys and their coach have been trapped in the cave since a flash flood pushed them to seek higher ground in one of the harder-to-reach areas of the complex on June 23.

— jake maxwell watts, WSJ, "Thailand Cave Rescue: Worsening Air Quality Adds to Pressure for Swift Solution," 7 July 2018
But after some hours in a waiting room Mr Fu was asked to leave by British diplomats, who cited his dual Canadian and Hong Kong-Chinese nationality and urged him to seek consular help from those countries instead.

— The Economist, "Xi’s world order: July 2024," 7 July 2018
Across California, there are about 3,000 water agencies, remnants of an archaic system that until about two decades ago allowed anyone with a water source that could serve 15 or more people to seek a permit to create a community water system.

— ruben vives, latimes.com, "Abolishing a water district isn't easy — even when it's accused of nepotism, mismanagement and delivering brown water," 7 July 2018
Bence decided to seek village zoning approval for more density in return for giving part of the site to the community.

— tom daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After long debate, Germantown's Saxony Village is opening apartments aimed at millennials," 6 July 2018
Advocates go into schools, and crisis response workers respond to homicide scenes to seek calm and help victims’ families.

— evan sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area homicides plunge to historic lows in first half of 2018," 6 July 2018
But Canas blames his poor interview and plans to seek another one.

— Washington Post, "Attorneys: Parents in fragile state for asylum interviews," 6 July 2018
And panic shouldn’t lead us to seek protection that inadvertently squashes our own liberties.

— franklin foer, The Atlantic, "The Death of the Public Square," 6 July 2018
In a case from Orange County, the court on May 31 ruled that the state constitution allows only the Attorney General to seek penalties and restitution on behalf of all state residents.

— greg moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Appeals court ruling could affect DA-driven consumer lawsuits," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seek.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.